Resting behaviour of sheep in a slaughterhouse lairage

Abstract

Groups of sheep were observed in a slaughterhouse lairage in order to investigate the factors affecting their ability to rest. Thirty-four groups were observed using a video-camera and recorder from arrival to dusk (evening) and from dawn to removal (morning). Nineteen groups were transported by road to the slaughterhouse direct from farms and 15 groups were from markets. Continuous direct observations of focal sheep from 34 groups were made during their first 2 h in the lairage. Sixteen of these groups were transported by road to the slaughterhouse direct from farms and 18 groups were from markets. Sheep kept on wooden slats did lie down and rest during overnight lairage. During the evening period almost half of the time was spent with greater than one-third lying down. Movement by the group as a whole represented a small proportion of the time during the evening and morning periods. During the first 2 h in the lairage, sheep from markets lay down at a faster rate than those direct from farms (between 1.75 and 2.00 h after arrival in the lairage the proportion of scans at which focal sheep from markets and those from farms were observed lying down was 0.41 and 0.15, respectively). Most of the sheep lay down for most of the time during the morning period (mean proportion of time when more than two-thirds of the group were lying down was 0.59). Within the group and pen sizes studied, a space allowance of greater than 1 m 2 per sheep was required before most of the sheep within a group lay down. However, the provision of greater than 1 m 2 per sheep did not always result in greater than two-thirds of the sheep within a group lying down. During the first 2 h in the lairage, the mean proportion of scans at which focal sheep from markets were observed eating (0.06) was greater than those direct from farms (0.01), the mean number of drinking events in market sheep (2.95 h −1) was greater than those in sheep direct from farms (0.45 h −1). The presence of humans in the passageway was associated with head alert reactions, movement and decreased lying behaviour in the sheep.